Monday, January 2, 2017

Book Review & Giveaway: The Beginner's Bible

When my son was born, I began my hunt for an age-appropriate Bible that I could sit and engage with my kids. After much researching and opinion gathering, I narrowed it down to 2 - The Rhyme Bible and The Beginner's Bible - and settled on a copy of The Rhyme Bible. While The Rhyme Bible certainly had a level of engagement appropriate for the under 3 crowd - great rhythm, colorful pictures, and simple language - I was disappointed with the level of detail left out of many of the major stories in scripture. With one of my kids approaching 5 and the other approaching 3, I wanted something that was still age appropriate but more complete in its detail.

I no sooner had thought to myself "I should look into The Beginner's Bible again" then I got an email from FlyBy Promotions asking if I'd like to receive a copy of the latest edition to review.

Well... how about that?

My copy of The Beginner's Bible arrived as I was in the midst of Advent with my little ones and it was the perfect timing. I immediately cracked open to the Christmas story and the first thing I noticed was the the New Testament was clearly separated from the Old Testament. This was something that drove me crazy about The Rhyme Bible; I use that separation in my own personal Bible and find it incredibly useful to have.

The next thing I noticed is that this Bible reads much more like a story and less like a poem. Not only does it read like a story, it provides many more details to the little ones than the Rhyme Bible did. I love this aspect; having the stories of the Bible simplified for the younger crowd is hugely important, but there still needs to be enough detail to offer a complete story that can be impactful and memorable.

To continue on the example of the Christmas story - here is something I really appreciated about this Bible. This was the first time I saw the chronology of Jesus' birth story - from his birth to the arrival of the wise men - completely in line with true scripture. I truly appreciated that after the birth of Christ and the angels delivering the news to the shepherds - they did not skip the presenting of Jesus at the temple and the blessing of Anna and then followed it up with the visit from the wise men later on when Jesus was a child. In almost every other presentation of the story - including the famed movie "The Nativity Story - the wise men arrive as part of the events surrounding Jesus' birth.

The illustrations are very cartoony and the expressions are very well drawn and show the emotions of the stories very well. In the story of when Jesus stays behind at the temple as a child talking to the teachers, when they tell the reader that Mary was distraught that she and Joseph couldn't find Jesus - the drawing shows her with tears and a nervous expression. I love that the illustrations are so in line with the narrative; this is another level of detail that will help to make it stick with the kids in the younger age bracket.

Overall, I am highly impressed with The Beginner's Bible. The kids have enjoyed looking at the pictures while I read aloud, and the illustrations and prose have already started to spark questions and conversations. Usually when I write a review, I can think of something that I can offer as a pro - and for The Beginner's Bible I cannot think of a negative or a con or even a "meh" to offer up. If you're looking for a Bible that does a great job engaging kids, distilling the important stories of the Bible to a level that is great for kids but still is complete, and is a wonderful way to get your kids to start asking questions about God - grab yourself a copy of The Beginner's Bible.

Or... OR...Enter to win a copy for FREE right here on the blog!

I'll be giving away ONE copy of The Beginner's Bible to one lucky winner chosen at random. Here's how to enter - you can earn up to 3 entries by doing the following:

1. Share this post and comment below when you've done so.2. Comment below with the story from the Bible that was your favorite as a kid.3. Follow my blog on Facebook (click this link) and comment below when you've done so.

Good luck if you enter - and if you're looking for a great Bible for kids, definitely consider getting this one! Oh - one other thing... entries will be open until Friday, January 6 at at 6:00 PM. I'll be announcing the winner by Sunday, January 8 at 9:00 PM at the very latest, but probably sooner.

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For more information about The Beginner's Bible, check out any of the following:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255:

“Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

2 comments:

Thanks for sharing the review! I've been looking for a good Children's Bible. The Beginner's Bible looks like a great choice to engage young readers. My favorite story was always about Noah saving all the animals. Now, the household favorite is Jonah and the fish! We have to read it almost every time we open the Bible. I love that the kids are almost even more excited to read the Bible than any other night time story.